Parents Plus: A Parent-Implemented Intervention for Preschool Children With Developmental Language Disorders

Abstract

Purpose: Parent engagement is a critical component of optimizing services for young children with disabilities, including those with language disorders. Without training, however, many parents may lack the knowledge and skills to effectively facilitate their children's language development during the essential early childhood years. The Parents Plus intervention was designed to support parents, through online training and coaching, in using focused stimulation, an evidence-based strategy for fostering early language development. Method: Thirty-one parents and their children with developmental language disorder participated in a small-scale randomized controlled trial to provide a preliminary test of Parents Plus. Sixteen parent–child dyads completed the Parents Plus intervention, while 15 parent–child dyads were in the control condition. Results: Findings indicate that Parents Plus shows promise in improving children's vocabulary and morphosyntactic skills. Additionally, Parents Plus emerged as a socially valid approach, with parents reporting that its goals, content, procedures, and outcomes were acceptable. Conclusion: Implications for education and directions for future research are discussed.